Mega Man
Mega Man & Bass, known in Japan as Rockman & Forte (ロックマン&フォルテ, Rokkuman ando Forute?), is a main game in the Mega Man Classic series of action platformer games. It takes place after Mega Man 8 and was produced by Keiji Inafune. The original Super Famicom version of Rockman & Forte was marketed exclusively in Japan in 1998, and was one of the final third party titles for the console. The story was changed slightly from the Super Famicom version to meet with the timeline of taking place after Mega Man 8. Before an English title was announced for the game in 2001, fans thought of Rockman & Forte as Mega Man 9. Until the release of the "real" Mega Man 9, this was considered the last game in the Mega Man Classic series with the exception of its somewhat sequel, Rockman & Forte: Challenger From The Future, which was released only in Japan (the recent Mega Man Powered Up for the PlayStation Portable is simply a remake of the original Mega Man). Gameplay The gameplay in Mega Man & Bass is similar to earlier games in the series. The player is tasked with completing a series of action-platform stages while overcoming obstacles, solving minor puzzles, and battling enemies. Destroying the "Robot Master" boss at the end of a stage lets the player acquire its special weapon. In previous games, the player generally took on the role of Mega Man. In this game, the player can choose to start the game as either Mega Man or Bass. However, whichever character is picked must be used for the rest of the game and cannot be changed. Mega Man is able to charge his shots to make them more powerful and has the ability to slide along the ground. Bass is able to rapidly fire his arm cannon in eight directions, though shots cannot be fired while moving or pass through walls unless a certain upgrade is obtained. Bass is also able to double-jump (jump a second time in mid-air) and dash along the ground. Performing both simultaneously lets him cross great distances by doing a dash-jump. The stage structure is different from other games in the series. After the introduction level, the player can only choose between three Robot Masters. Defeating Cold Man unlocks Burner Man and Pirate Man; defeating Astro Man unlocks Dynamo Man, Tengu Man, and Pirate Man; and defeating Ground Man unlocks Magic Man and Tengu Man. Clearing one of these unlocked stages opens the way to a security room where the player must destroy a series of crystals with obtained Robot Master weapons. Bypassing all eight crystals opens the way to the fortress stages. In a similar fashion to previous installments in the series, enemies often drop bolts after they are destroyed, and these can be exchanged for various restorative items and upgrades. However, unlike in Mega Man 7 the security cavern offers a way to obtain large amounts of bolts without having to repeatedly visit stages. Some upgrades are unique to either character, such as Mega Man's ability to call on his dog Rush to search for items, or an adaptor for Bass to combine with his wolf Treble to temporarily fly. Also distributed throughout the introduction and Robot Master levels are a collection of 100 data CDs that contain information on many prominent characters in the series. Most of the CDs are hidden either behind obstacles that need to be destroyed with a special weapon or accessed with a character-specific ability, making it impossible to collect them all on a single playthrough. CDs collected in each playthrough are permanently placed in a database and remain unlocked after beating the game. Saved games are used in place of the series' traditional password system. Characters * Mega Man * Proto Man * Bass * Treble * Rush * Beat * Auto * Eddie * Roll * Dr. Wily * Dr. Light * King * Tengu Man * Astro Man * Batton M64 * Dynamo Man - was once a robot used to guide schoolchildren on field trips through the power plant. When King made him create an internal power generator that emitted a massive energy force field, no one could get close to him, and he soon began to resent everyone. He can charge himself up with electricity to attack and refill his energy column. * Cold Man - is another ice-themed Robot Master made by King designed to look like an icebox. He attacks using spiked Ice Walls that he creates by opening the freezer on his belly, freezing the floor, and creating Cold Mist enemies to slow the player's movement. * Ground Man - is a Robot Master similar to Drill Man in attack style. He is motivated to achieve his goals, but hardly ever speaks and seems to have no feelings. He sometimes hoards treasure that he finds for his own personal collection, without consulting King, his creator. * Pirate Man - was created to attack cargo vessels on the open sea. His secret hideout is somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. He attacks using three Remote Mines or rolling inside of a giant bubble to attack, using his arm to fill the room with water when the level is too low to use his bubble attack. * Burner Man - created by King for the sole purpose of destroying the environment. After creating him, King tricked Burner Man into thinking that he must burn a forest every day or his self-destruct bomb would explode. Whether this is true or not remains unknown. * Magic Man - is a former member of the King Army Circus Group, but he enlisted in King's Army in order to show off. He puts incredible effort into researching his magic tricks, but few people think of him as a hard worker. His weapon, Magic Card, can restore his health. * Dangan Man - (Challenger From The Future only) - As his name implies, Dangan Man is a giant bullet. * Konro Man - (Challenger From The Future only) - While he is essentially just a giant stove, he proves to be a deadly fighter. His Flame Shower attack sends balls of fire raining down from the sky, while the Flame Mixer is a flame-thrower style attack that melts almost any opponent. * Aircon Man - (Challenger From The Future only) - His name is short for Air Conditioner. * Komusō Man - (Challenger From The Future only) - His design was based on that of a Komusō, a mendicant monastic. * Clock Men - (Challenger From The Future only) - a pair of time-controlling robots. * Compass Man - (Challenger From The Future only) - can separate his torso from his legs and spin around the room, slicing at opponents with his deadly blade hands, while his legs will try to corner his opponent and do more damage. * Rockman Shadow - (Challenger From The Future only) - is the leader of the Dimensions and the final boss of Challenger From The Future. Story In the year 20XX, after a year of peace since the emergence of the "Evil Energy" on Earth and its use by Dr. Wily to build extremely powerful robots to take over the world, a new villain arrives who goes by the name of "King." At first the goals of this new, arrogant being seem unclear, but after a while they become quite certain. King desires to create a utopia in which robots will be able to live in peace and harmony. The only problem with this goal is that humans are left out of the picture, and as far as King is concerned, they are the enemy. King desires to build a massive army of robots with which to build his utopian world, so he breaks into the Robot Museum and collects all of the Data CDs upon which the information of the creations of Dr. Light and Dr. Wily are stored. Even though he is a pacifist by nature, Mega Man has a strong sense of justice and knows that King's goals are against everything that he and Dr. Light stand for. Dr. Light tells him that he must go at once to the Robot Museum and put a stop to King's plans before they get out of hand. However, Mega Man is not the only one who has a bone to pick with King. Bass, Dr. Wily's most powerful creation, is quite upset with King proclaiming to be the most powerful robot in the world. Bass, who is quite arrogant himself, decides to prove that he is the strongest of them all by tracking down and defeating King before his rival, Mega Man, can. Rockman & Forte: Challenger From The Future Rockman & Forte: Challenger From The Future (Rockman & Forte: Mirai kara no Chousensha) was released only in Japan in 1999 for Bandai's WonderSwan handheld. 'Story' *(Characters have their Japanese names.) In the year 20XX, a group of robots from the future calling themselves the Dimensions attacked Symphony City, a city where people and robots lived in peace. Though without any witnesses, the one leading the Dimensions with overwhelming power was a robot like Rockman, who named himself Rockman Shadow. He was said to be a dark and wicked person completely obsessed with destruction. Rockman, who heard this news at Dr. Right's laboratory, took off to the scene despite being under maintenance. At the same time, Dr. Wily saw the dark Rockman, and to ascertain the mystery he sends Forte to the city... 'Gameplay' Similar to the previous game, two characters are available for play: Mega Man and Bass. Mega Man handles like previous games in the series, combining charged attacks and sliding across the ground. Bass, like in the previous game, can fire rapidly in set 45-degree angles, and has dash and double jump abilities. A notable part of the gameplay is that the Robot Masters in this game do not have an invincibility period after being hit, allowing the player to continuously attack them if possible. Another point is that there are only five weapons to be obtained, with one Robot Master not surrendering a weapon for the player to use. The Bolt system also makes a comeback, with various parts and equipment able to be bought. Both characters have items that only work for them, such as Mega Man being able to summon Rush, Eddie, Tango and Beat. Bass can summon Treble and Reggae. Credits SNES Version Staff Producer: Keiji Inafune Planner: Hayato & Friender, Manabu Takemura Object Designer: Tomoyuki Hashinaga, Tetsuhei Asano, Tomoaki Sugeno, Yuusuke Hashimoto, Tsuyoshi Fujisawa Boss Character Original Designer: Hitoshi Ariga, Yoshihiro Iwamoto, Koji Izuki Scroll Designer: Keiko Nishioka, Hiramieito, Aki Kouyama, Natsuko Shimizu Programmer: Maximum Shin, Simitan, Tadashi Kuwana Sound Designer: Kirikiri-chan, Naoshi Mizuta, Akari Kaida Title Designer: Ukabin Publishing Design: Hideki Ishikawa Special Thanks: Mitsuru Endo, Kazuki Matsue, Notsman, Miki Kijima, Eriko Bando, Mayumi Yoshioka, Yukiko Kawanabe, Hidesato Sueyoshi, Hironori Ojima, Kazuyuki Akihama General Producer: Noritaka Funamizu Executive Producer: Yoshiki Okamoto GBA Version : Original Staff Producer: K.Inafune Director: Hayato & F, M.Takemura Character Designer: T.Hasinaga, T.Asano, T.Sugeno, Y. Hasimoto, T. Fujisawa Boss Designer: H.Ariga, Y.Iwamoto, K.Iduki Stage Designer: K.Nisioka, Hiramieito, A.Kouyama, N.Simizu Programmer: Maxi-Sin, Simitan, T.Kuwana Sound Designer: Kirikiri, N.Mizuta, A.Kaida Title Logo Designer: Ukabin Publicity: H.Isikawa Special Thanks: M.Endo, K.Matue, Notsman, M.Kijima, E.Bando, M.Yosioka, Y.Kawanabe, H.Sueyosi, H.Ojima, K.Akihama General Producer: N.Funamizu Executive Producer: Y.Okamoto : New Staff Producer: T.Minami, H.Takesita Director: S.Yosioka, Y.Hiwada Graphic Designer: Buppo Programmer: K.Kubori, Hyon, T.Yataka, Ume‑S2K, I.Nitanda, K.Nisigaki, K.Yamaguti, K.Mizoguti, K.Arita, S.Okamoto, G.Oda, N.Maeda Sound Designer: T.Arisaka Cover Designer: R.Higurasi Manual Designer: M‑Ru Special Thanks: Bamboo, Y.Ito, H.Katagiri, T.Nisimura : Manual Credits (Overseas Versions) :: Capcom Entertainment, Inc. Manual: Hanshaw Ink & Image Marketing: Todd Thorson, Sean Mylett, Bonnie Scott, Robert Johnson, Nathan Williams Creative Services: Jennifer Deauville, Marion Clifford Package Design: Michiko Morita, Jamie Gibson Translation: Ben Gromin Judd Public Relations: Melinda Mongelluzzo, Matt Atwood, Carrie Root, Arne Cual-Pedroso Special Thanks: William Gardner, Robert Lindsey, Customer Service Credits from the Future Producer: Toshimitsu Sakairi :Development by Layup Planning: Jyouji Niiyama Program: Akira Yamashita, Atsushi Kurooka, Hitoshi Murakami Graphic Design: Naoki Matsuda, Yoshiyuki Urushibara, Reiko Umemoto, Satoshi Nogami, Daisuke Nishijima Planner: Takashi Minami Director: Naoki Youyama A&R Manager: Jyouji Niiyama, Tetsuya Yamamoto Publicity: Masashi Umeda, Hiroshi Shimada, Tsuyoshi Satou, Takahiro Sasanoi, Naomi Aikou Test Play: Studio Stat :Special Thanks Capcom Special Thanks: Yoshiki Okamoto, Noritaka Funamizu, Takashi Kitahara, Keiji Inafune, Jun Nishino, Junichi Nagai, Kana Urasawa, and Rockman & Forte Staff :Special Thanks Bandai Special Thanks: Keita Nabeshima, Toshihiro Suzuki Debug: Naoya Akakabe, Hidetoshi Koide, Mayo Fukui, Natsuki Okada, Takaya Yamane, Takayuki Hori, Tomonobu Imanishi Special Thanks: Takahiko Yamamura, Yukio Matsubara Presented by Bandai Gallery Image:MM&BDynamoMan.png|''Dynamo Man'' Image:MM&BColdMan.png|''Cold Man'' Image:MM&BGroundMan.png|''Ground Man'' Image:MM&BPirateMan.png|''Pirate Man'' Image:MM&BBurnerMan.png|''Burner Man'' Image:MM&BMagicMan.png|''Magic Man'' Box Art Image:MMBJapan.png|''Japan'' Image:MMBJapanGBA.png|''Japan'' GBA Image:MMBCoverScan.png|''U.S.'' Image:MMBChallenger.png|Challenger From the Future Japan WS Merchandise Image:MMBManga1.png|''Manga Vol. 1'' Image:MMBManga2.png|''Manga Vol. 2'' External Links *Wikipedia article *''Mega Man Knowledge Base'' article Category:Games Category:Mega Man Games Category:Mega Man Classic Games Category:Science Fiction Games Category:Action Games Category:Platform Games Category:SNES Games Category:Game Boy Advance Games Category:WonderSwan Games Category:1998 video games